Spotify India has finally, officially, launched after being delayed by WMG Music which asked an Indian court to block Spotify from being able to play music from its catalogue. However, it is now available in India with subscription plans that are far below what the company is charging consumers elsewhere.
Spotify India Pricing
Spotify India premium services are free for 30 days and for ₹ 119 (around $1.67) per month.
In addition, Spotify is also offering the following pricing:
– Single Day Access
– Pre-Paid plans for 3 months @ ₹ 389
– Pre-Paid plans for 6 months @ ₹ 719
– 1 Year @ ₹ 1,189
Students receive a 50% discount
Tweaks for India
Spotify India has made some tweaks to service the Indian Music listener category by adding a whole bunch of tailored features. Spotify’s music recommendation engine can be tuned to Hindi, Punjabi, Tamil and Telugu. A feature they call Multi-language music recommendations. Spotify India users can select their preferred language(s) to receive tailored Daily Mix, Home, Radio, Search results and recommendations,” states Spotify’s press release. Spotify’s recommendations will also include songs from India’s favourite movies and actors.
Spotify India Features
- Multi-language music recommendations.
- Spotify Free with full control: For the first time, smartphone users can play every song on demand (Usually not available in the Free Version)
- Playlists made for India: New playlists, expertly curated and regularly updated. Celebrated international playlists, including Mint, RapCaviar, ¡Viva Latino!, and the This is… artist compilations.
- Spotify goes to the movies: Introducing Starring…, a series of playlists featuring the best music from the most popular Bollywood, Tollywood, Kollywood, and Punjabi actors.
- City playlists: Find out what’s hot in each city, with new algorithmic playlists tracking what’s trending in Mumbai, Delhi, Bengaluru, and Chennai.
Licensing Rights and Delay for Launching in India.
Last month, Spotify entered a worldwide deal with T-Series, the number-one Indian film and music company that has a catalogue of over 160,000 + songs. Spotify obviously knew the Indian market wouldn’t be simple to win. It was up against native services like Saavan, Gaana(that already has over 80 million users) and not to forget, Apple Music. Spotify was also able to secure direct licensing agreements with Sony Music and Universal for the Indian market
Warner Music Sues to Block Songwriters From Spotify in India
Unfortunately for Spotify, they couldn’t come to an agreement with Warner. Spotify is relying on ‘statutory licensing’ for the use of music from Warner’s catalogue. Earlier this week, WMG asked an Indian court to block Spotify from being able to play music from its catalogue.
In return, Spotify claimed on Tuesday that the injunction was denied by a local court, with Warner challenging that further by saying that this was untrue. Reportedly the Bombay High Court asked Spotify to maintain records on the use of any of Warner’s repertoire, which both sides celebrated as a legal victory.
However, the lack of several thousand tracks from artists like Bruno Mars, Taemin, Cardi B, Katy Perry, Led Zepplin and more would be a major hindrance to many Indian users, but hopefully, something that Spotify would be able to sort out in the coming months.
About the dispute with Warner Music, Spotify CFO, Barry McCarthy said: “We’re having a food fight with Warner. I can’t comment on the legal aspects of it… It’s not really about India; it’s about leverage and renegotiation of the global agreement.”
Read more about Spotify in India on Spotify’s News page
Here: FROM BOLLYWOOD TO BHANGRA Spotify Launches in India/
DO YOU ALREADY USE SPOTIFY? TELL US WHAT YOU THINK OF THEIR SERVICES IN INDIA AND IF YOU PLAN TO USE THEM.